LANGKAWI: The Langkawi international travel pilot project is expected to pay off big-time once direct flights have been reactivated.

       Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) chief executive officer Nasaruddin Abdul Muttalib said tourists arrivals were expected to pick up in the next few weeks with more target groups flying into the island in December.

       “Lada is targeting at least 5,000 tourists on the island, especially from Europe and the United States in December, with many coming in for a holiday in the Far East due to the winter season.

       “The standard operating procedure for stakeholders and operators were just released, so we hope to have direct flights into the island during Christmas or latest by early January.

       “For now, we are banking on the transit flights from KLIA to bring in the foreign tourists to Langkawi,” he said yesterday.

       Nasaruddin also said international tourists were required to stay a minimum of one week on the island before visiting other locations under the travel bubble.

       “For those planning to visit Langkawi alone, the minimum stay period is three days,” he said.

       Malaysian Association of Hotels Kedah and Perlis chapter chairman Eugene Dass, in welcoming the travel bubble, said it would help hotels on the island recoup their losses from the Covid-19 pandemic.

       He said most of the hotels have invested a lot of money on safety equipment and training to ensure the safety and health of visitors and holidaymakers to Langkawi.

       “The travel bubble will enable the hotels to recover as the island thrived on international tourists before the lockdown.

       “However, we need to have direct flights into Langkawi by international airlines for the travel bubble to be more effective in attracting foreign tourists,” he said.

       Checks showed that a large percentage of the occupancy rate in hotels was hovering around 55% until end of November and close to 65% in December.

       “The occupancy rate is largely from domestic business but this will change when international tourists start coming in over the next few weeks,” Dass said.

       On Sunday, Kedah executive councillor Mohd Firdaus Ahmad said all foreign tourists have to undergo Covid-19 screening upon arrival at the island, with the results known within 10 minutes.

       He also said they have to take the test at a facility near the Langkawi International Airport.

       Lada has set up two private labs to conduct RTK-Ag Covid-19 tests for tourists.